Special Material: Spell Steel

[Green Bean]

Spell Steel

Spell steel is rare metal, discovered by the Dwarves and mined in only a few select locations. Spell steel is unique, as it possesses a complete immunity to magic. No spell, good or bad, will bypass a spell steel defence. However, this ability makes the metal impossible to magically enhance. Treat spell steel weapons as identical to ordinary steel weapons, with the following differences.

Weapons made of spell steel will ignore any spell effect or magical enhancement that increases the target’s AC, or bestows damage reduction. Spell-like abilities are included in this effect, though not supernatural or extraordinary traits. The weapons themselves can penetrate any intervening magical effects, but the wielder does not share this ability. However, the weapon is unable to bypass spells with the instantaneous duration. For example, a spell steel arrow would bypass a Force Wall, but not a Wall of Stone.

Armor or Shields made from spell steel add their AC to the wearer’s touch AC for the purpose of spell attack rolls that require one. As well, any attack against the wearer from a magic weapon has a 50% chance being unable to use magic bonuses (treat such an attack as one from a masterwork weapon)

All objects made from spell steel also possess immunity to all magic effects targeting the object directly, and cannot be magically enhanced by any means. As well, summoned creatures are immune to spell steel attacks (spell steel bypasses all magic effects, so the weapon simply passes through).


Comments? Balance issues? What would you recommend for pricing?

[Matthew]

Not sure. Somebody must have some idea, though.

[brian c]

I love it in terms of flavor, but I can't decide if it's underpowered or overpowered. I think that means that it's balanced though, unless there's something I'm missing.

[Kiroho]

I can think of a couple archers that would love a quiver full of arrows made out of this stuff.

"Wind Wall? What Wind Wall?"

[Umarth]

The cost for items made from it is going to be a big factor in determining if it's balanced or not.


A couple things I'd change:

Things like wall of stone are not magical. I'd scrap the line about not bypassing instantaneous magical effects as the effects you’re trying to make immune to spell steel are already immune.

I'd also recommend allowing spell steel to hit and be affected by summoned creatures. The creatures themselves are not magical. The magical effect is summoning them

[Arbitrarity]

What's the extra cost? It's like cold iron, thematically, but better.

[Green Bean]

The cost for items made from it is going to be a big factor in determining if it's balanced or not.


A couple things I'd change:

Things like wall of stone are not magical. I'd scrap the line about not bypassing instantaneous magical effects as the effects you’re trying to make immune to spell steel are already immune.

I'd also recommend allowing spell steel to hit and be affected by summoned creatures. The creatures themselves are not magical. The magical effect is summoning them

Yeah, the concept's been knocking around in my brain for a while now, but what I need is an appropriate cost.

Hmm. You have a point with the Wall of Stone. I'll ditch it. As for the summoned creatures, I'm not sure. I mean, they vanish when defeated, so they're at least partially magical.

[Kalken]

The name sounds like a spell in World of Warcraft but besides that it seems okay. The only problem I see with it is that a PC with a weapon made of Spell Steel and with the mage slayer feat would make spellcaster encounters a little easy.

[TempusCCK]

Eh, I hate giving a basic cost of things, the money guidelines in the books are terribly inconsiderate of an in-depth in-world economy.

Either way, the rarity of this combined with the usefulness of it would drive the price pretty high. I'm thinking that a piece of gear made of this stuff would probably cost double or triple book price.

[Human Paragon 3]

The spell steel armor doesn't give you SR? Seems a bit counter-intuitive as that's the first thing that popped into my head, but that might make it a bit unbalancing. Maybe SR 15? Not too high, but not useless against weaker mages.

[TheOOB]

I'm going to kill a few catgirls here, but the material does not make logical sense.

I understand the material is immune to magic, but that does not mean magic is not effective agienst it. For example, take a Acid Orb spell, once the spell hits the sword it's not magical any more. Sure it coulds as spell damage, but the effect itself is plain old non-magical damage.

And why couldn't say, mage armor, work agienst this. Mage armor creates a physical effect that blocks attacks, and doesnt affect the weapon in any way. A suit of armor is a suit of armor, no matter how its created.

[brian c]

I'm going to kill a few catgirls here, but the material does not make logical sense.

I understand the material is immune to magic, but that does not mean magic is not effective agienst it. For example, take a Acid Orb spell, once the spell hits the sword it's not magical any more. Sure it coulds as spell damage, but the effect itself is plain old non-magical damage.

And why couldn't say, mage armor, work agienst this. Mage armor creates a physical effect that blocks attacks, and doesnt affect the weapon in any way. A suit of armor is a suit of armor, no matter how its created.

Well, Orb spells are SR:No, so I think this whole material would make more sense if it just granted SR. Mage armor though doesn't make any solid armor appear on you- it doesn't give you encumbrance or anything like that, it's a completely magical effect, so I see no reason why spell steel shouldn't go through it.

[Fualkner Asiniti]

... mage slayer feat would make spellcaster encounters a little easy.

What book is that in? I've been looking for it...

[aaron_the_cow]

you might whant to make this like iorn so nothing can go throgh it
(you may already have that implyed but I didn't see it)

[brian c]

What book is that in? I've been looking for it...

Complete Arcane. Pg81. It's a pretty nice set of feats if you want to hunt down a spellcaster(s).